Still here and hoping to have more stuff to add soon-ish, it’s just i’ve been doing work on the New English Library and Sphere sections, etc., so it’s been quiet on here. Normal service will be resumed shortly if you’re desperately unlucky, and then you’ll wish i’d piss off again. :)

Greetings! I’m a new ghoul in town and wondered if you could help me identify the titles or publications of two old horror stories I heard about at school from a lad in my class, never got a chance to read but still had to sleep with the light on! They date back to around 1979/1980 but could be earlier. Don’t know if they are American pulp comic stories, urban legends or creepy pastas. Maybe you can shed some light on them?

The first story may be called ‘The Night of the Black Weasel’ or ‘Black Night of the weasel’. It’s about a backpacker travelling on a remote forest road who encounters a traveller along the route. The backpacker is alarmed to see the stranger has no whites in his eyes, only jet black eyes and weasel like features. My memory of what words are exchanged between the two characters is pretty vague but I do remember it culminates in either a chase or attack, resulting in the backpacker being decapitated by the demon eyed figure. The missing backpacker’s head is eventually found with a hatchet embedded in it. On closer scrutiny the words “Beware the Night of the Black Weasel” are found engraved on the blade of the hatchet!

Does this ring any bells? I’ve been looking at back catalogues of old horror compilations from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, including authors such as Ramsey Campbell, Richard Matheson, Robert Block but so far have drawn a blank. Can’t seem to find it hidden amongst Corgi, Panther, Pan or Fontana.

The second story concerns a series of gruesome murders at an amusement park or carnival. Someone or something is beheading the passengers of a ghost train dark ride! When the ride is investigated nothing can be found amongst the mechanical monsters to suggest what or who is responsible. Eventually, it transpires a lunatic circus trapeze artist has been hanging upside down from the rafters of the ghost train and dispatching the riders with a sword as their train passes underneath.

Not to be confused with Dean Koontz’s (aka Owen West) ‘The Funhouse’, Diane Hoh’s ‘Funhouse’, J.L. Ryan’s ‘Inferno Park’ or even an episode of Midsomer Murders which all feature scary dark rides, fairground murder and mayhem.